Then Everything Clicked
by MissMarieMay
Summary: Everyone had a soulmate, but like everything else in the universe, there were exceptions.


_**Author's Notes:**__ A not-so-much soulmates fic that was supposed to be a lot longer than it was, originally. However, things happen and it ends up being like this._

Soulmate.

A specific other half that would complete a person. It was something people had regardless of gender or race. In this day and age, it wasn't particularily rare and it was more or less common to find a soulmate, even if it didn't happen to everyone. All you had to do was wait for your time.

It was said when someone found their other half everything would just _click_, like a key that found the right lock.

For Kuroko, age 26, it was no different. The moment he laid eyes upon his soulmate, he knew. Everything was put in place in that single moment and suddenly it seemed liked everything was a tad bit brighter. The sounds around him became softer as he stared at his newly found other half. He _found_ his soulmate.

He knew the exact moment when his soulmate turned and looked in his direction that he felt the same thing too. Both were staring into each other's eyes and time seemed to freeze just for a bit. Then, as abruptly as it came, the moment was gone; sounds of everyday life grated on his ears again, the world stopped being fuzzy and warm, colors were toned down when his finally caught up and realized.

_He found his _soulmate_._

And, from what he could tell, the other had realized this as well if their eyes narrowing and quickly turning away was anything to go by. Which genuinely surprised Kuroko because no one really noticed him unless he were to speak to them directly. Still, Kuroko continued to stare after his other half even long after the other scuttled away quickly.

"Tetsu," a familiar voice called from behind him, "Hey, Testu! Are you listening to me?"

Not blinking an eye, Kuroko still gazed off in the same direction but answered the voice none-the-less, "Yes, Aomine-kun, it would be near impossible to not listen to you when you use a loud voice like that inside a public place."

Finally, Kuroko quit looking after the empty space and turned towards Aomine. He studied the man before him, from his face lit up in a wide grin to his body which was leaning towards him slightly. God, he could not believe he found his soulmate. Silently, Kuroko stared up at the taller man waiting for his inevitable complain about the blatant insult.

"Hey! You weren't listening to me, so I had to get your attention somehow, Tetsu," Aomine stated giving Kuroko a light shove against his should before continuing, "I was trying to say let's stop to get something to eat before we go home, I have to get up early for patrol tomorrow."

Kuroko gave a noncommital noise of agreement, barely paying any mind to the other man. His mind was stuck on the fact he found the other. At such a time too. Extremely odd sense of timing the universe seemed to have, but that wasn't the main problem here.

Aomine, however, rambled on, "Not the place with the milkshakes, either, you need more food than that if you ever want to catch up to my height. Not that you can, anymore, though, you're kind of stuck at this height now."

Kuroko gave him a jab in his side for that.

"Freakin' _ow_, Tetsu," Aomine whined as he clutched at his side, "God, why do I put up with such a moody little _boyfriend_."

Kuroko promptly gave him a harder jab (_"OW! Fuck, Tetsu!"_). He found his soulmate while on a day out in the city with his boyfriend. Then, he decided he did not want to think of it anymore and faced the taller man once again, "Because you love me. That's why. Also, we're going to the place with the milkshakes and you're paying. For all of it."

"What? Oh, come on, Tetsu! You said you'd pay this time," Aomine complained half-heartedly while slinging an arm around the smaller man's shoulders, "Fine, whatever, I'll allow it this time."

With that, Kuroko shut off all thought process that had anything to do with other halfs or soulmates and enjoyed the rest of the day with Aomine (where they had gone to the place with the milkshakes and he ordered nine of them just to get Aomine riled up again).

For two full days, Kuroko was able to avoid any subjects related to soulmates. Nevermind the fact conversations like those do not pop up that often for him, but still, one could never be too cautious. That was, until, he saw his other half, to his surprise, at work. See, the world had a way of throwing soulmates at each other after find one another. Once you found them, that was it, there were no take backs or roundabouts, you were stuck together some way or another and the more you fought, the more it would push you together. This, however, was riduculous and at his work no less.

His other half, as it turned out, was a local firefighter and part of the group designated to visit his kindergarten school for the annual Hazard Safety Day. For what it was worth, Kuroko tried his hardest to ignore the other and went about what he was doing. He tried to get through his task of setting up stations for the kids when a hand landed on his shoulder.

Really not wanting to turn around, Kurko quesitoned, "Yes?"

"Hey, um, the kids, I think they're ready to come outside now," a deep voice stated and then there was a pause, "Also, um, well, never mind."

The hand slowly lifted off his shoulder before Kuroko had the courage to turn around, hoping the other had already left to go back to the other firefighters. In retrospect, he should not have assumed the world would be so forgiving and almost smacked right into a broad, jacket-covered chest. His other half was also a man, something Kuroko barely noticed the last time. Kuroko tilted his head up only to meet the intense gaze of the man in front of him.

Now that he noticed, this man looked to be as tall as Aomine; the same type of build too. Over a good head taller than he was anyways. He also had very red hair that delved into black at the ends (weird color choicing for a firefighter to say the least, then again, he had bright blue hair, so he wasn't one to talk).

He was startled slightly when the man started to talk again, "So, really not the time or place, but I think you're my soulmate. I think."

Oh, Kuroko knew that, he definitely knew that and by the way the man was acting, so did he. Yet, Kuroko said in an indifferent manner, "Yes, I do believe you are."

The slight blushed gracing the man's face deepened from a pastel pink to a vibrant red and coughed awkwardly. A small, traitorous part of his mind thought it was almost cute.

"Yeah. So, goddammit! I'm so not good with this stuff," the larger man huffed out in annoyance, "I just, hell, I don't know. I really wasn't expecting to see you today."

_Neither was I, _Kurko thought then said instead, "It happens, but for now we should really get on with the safety day activities. Children do not like to be kept waiting."

To that, the other man simply and dumbly nodded to what Kuroko said. Throughout the rest of the day, Kuroko could feel a burning gaze in the back of his head as he kept the kids from getting too riled up. From time to time, though, he would sneak looks at the firefighter across yard to see the man laugh loudly as children screamed excitedly as the big truck's sirens sounded again. Kuroko almost smiled. Almost.

The remainder of the day went without a hitch and soon enough the children were packing up to leave, each with extremely wide smiles and little fake firefighter badges of their own. By the time the last of the children left with their parents, the firefighters had almost everything packed up and were ready to leave themselves.

Kuroko was waving off his last student when someone cleared their throat behind him.

"Hey, we're, uh, we're all good to go now so, I just, well," the man stuttered, "God, this is embarassing, I'm getting all tongue-tied."

Kuroko simply stared at the other man who was scratching nervously at the back of his head. He titled his head to one side, thinking, then said, "Kuroko Tetsuya. That's my name."

The red haired man stop with the stuttering and gave a small smile before replying, "Kagami Taiga. That's mine."

"Nice to meet you, Kagami-san," Kuroko bowed politefully, "Thanks for coming out to help demonstrate today."

"No problem, Kuroko, and you could just address me as Kagami, you know," the other man said with a wide smile this time.

"Sure, Kagami-kun," Kuroko said.

The man just gave a small chuckle and said, "So, I was thinking that maybe we could..."

Before he could finish his sentence a large horn blared and one of the other firefighters leaned out the window of the firetruck, "Oi, Taiga! Let's go, loverboy!"

Kuroko had some decency to give a small blush before the other man, Kagami, yelled back, "Shut it, Tatsuya! I'll be right there."

The one from inside the truck blared the horn once again before he payed no more attention. Kagami had a deep blush on his face when he turned back to Kuroko and started again, "Sorry, he's something else sometimes. As I was saying, I was thinking that maybe we could, you know, go out for coffee sometime?"

Kuroko really should have said no and been done with it, but for some reason, when he opened his mouth, out came, "Sure, I'd like that. How about on Saturday at that new cafe a couple of blocks down?"

It just came out of his mouth. He didn't know why or what caused him to say that when, really, it should have been a firm _no_ to begin with. Not an agreement to meet up for coffee somewhere. What was wrong with him, he had a boyfriend he loved for pete's sake!

Before Kuroko could take back what he said, Kagami smiled once again and said, "Great, that's really great! I have that day off, so around two sound good?"

He nodded before his brain could react.

"Awesome! See you then," Kagami ran off to the red truck where the other firefighters were waiting for him with a giant grin plastered on his face.

Kuroko only stared off at the retreating truck and wondered just what had he gotten himself into. Just as the truck turned a corner and disappeared from sight, he knew: Trouble. He had just gotten himself into a whole mess of Trouble. Trouble with a capital T. Soon enough, Kuroko quit staring down the street and left with all the other staff from the school.

When he got to his apartment later that evening, his head was running overtime. He tried not to think about any of it on his way home, but being left alone with his thoughts really did nothing to help the matter. He tried, honestly, to think of anything else. Really, he even tried to think of Aomine and his stupid smirk when he won against Kuroko in a game of basketball. However, his mind only seemed to come back to _Kagami_.

An arm reach away from opening his door, he stopped. The door said _201_ on it as well as his and Aomine's name in the slot to the side of it. He stared hard at the _Kuroko Tetsuya & Aomine Daiki_ which glared back at him. His mind was blank as he continued to gaze at the words, reaching for the door at the same time only for it to open inwards just before he turned the knob.

"There you are, Tetsu-kun! I was wondering where you were," a high pitched voice sounded right before his lungs were cut off from air, "I was going to go crazy if I had to spend another minute with Dai-chan and his stupid whining!"

"Ah, Momoi-san, hello," Kuroko somehow got out, "It's nice to see you."

Okay, so, at least now there was a distraction for a bit.

"Hey, Satsuki, let go of him, can't you see your crushing him," Aomine called from inside the apartment, "For the record, I was not whining!"

Momoi let go of Kuroko and spun around, "Yes, you were, Dai-chan. _Where the hell is Testu at_ and _Why isn't he home yet, he's usually home_ then _Tetsu, hurry uuuup_. Whining, totally whining."

Kuroko followed Momoi inside to see Aomine lazily draped over the couch and said, "He does that a lot, though. I have a feeling if you or I weren't here, he wouldn't know what to do with himself."

Momoi gave out a laugh while Aomine sputtered, "Hey! That's not at all true, Tetsu! I've managed just fine living by myself before and you know it!"

"Yeah, only if me or Tetsu-kun came to check up on you every few days to see if you were still alive," Momoi gave another laugh and sat down in the chair next to the couch.

"Why do I even know you two, I swear, all you guys do is make fun of me," Aomine said. So back to the whining it was.

Kuroko gave a comforting back on his back as he took a seat next to the taller man, "There, there, Aomine-kun. We'd be somewhat at a loss if you weren't there for us either, though it would be quite a lot quieter around here. And cleaner."

He recieved a harsh shove.

From there it was a polite conversation and fun banter until Momoi excused herself to go home for the night. She got up and dusted off her pants then made here way to the door. Kuroko followed to show here out while Aomine continued to laze in his seat.

"Bye, Tetsu-kun, Dai-chan," opening the door, Momoi called back to Kuroko, "If you ever need help reigning that arrogant guy over there in, don't hesitate to call!"

Kuroko gave a small nod and replied, "Of course, but I think I can almost handle him all by myself now, thanks to your tips."

Momoi gave a giggle before heading out the door. When it closed with a soft _click_, Kuroko turned to find Aomine right in his face. An unwanted thought popped it way into his head.

_Kagami-kun really might be as tall as Aomine-kun._

Wait, no, he wasn't supposed to think about that, but this situation seemed similar to the one ealier in the day. He titled his head up and, like earlier, he was met with intense eyes staring directly into his. The only difference was it wasn't Kagami but Aomine. His boyfriend.

"Tetsu," Aomine said and Kuroko knew that voice. It was a deep voice, low and sultry, one Aomine used when he wanted something. Something, specifically, from Kuroko.

He really should have known this would happen as soon as their pink haired friend left. Throughout the visit his boyfriend's hands had been wandering up and down Kuroko's side all night. When one of said hands slipped under his shirt when Momoi wasn't looking and touch just beneath the pants on his waist, knew what that meant. He knew all of this, but, right now, he couldn't.

Well, he did, but, honestly, he really needed to speak with Aomine before doing this. So, Kuroko did what any sensible person would do in his situation. He smacked Aomine right in his stomach.

Aomine coughed and clutched at his stomach before he grit out, "Goddammit, Tetsu! What the hell was that for!"

"Aomine-kun," Tetsu started, his voice clear and steady, "We need to talk."

Aomine stopped his glaring before straightening up. It was easy enough for even him to see Kuroko was serious about something. He replied with an _okay_ and watched as Kuroko walked into the kitchen before following.

"Maybe I should make something for us to drink before I start talking," Kuroko was getting really nervous all of a sudden. Then again, why shouldn't he be?

Aomine followed Kuroko's movements as he started to get supplies together for coffee. There was a silence for some time and only when the hiss of the coffee pot sounded did Aomine start to get annoyed.

"Tetsu," he started, voice not as loud as it could be but loud enough for Kuroko to tell he was barely restraining himself, "Testu, seriously, what did you want to talk about?"

Kuroko took a moment to breath through his mouth before turning around with two mugs in his hand. He set them down and looked at Aomine. Deep blue eyes stared back at him and he could see a tad bit of concern in them. Okay, right, how to put this now...

"I seem to have found my soulmate," there, he said it. No beating around the bush.

There was a pause of silence then, "What? Soulmate? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Several emotions passed through Aomine's. Surprise, shock, disbelief, anger before settling a totally different one altogether. Betrayal. Kuroko tried his best to keep his gaze steady and his face blank but even he couldn't school his face in a moment like this. Instead, he turned his head to the side and stared at the coffee brewing in the coffee machine.

"Tetsu," Aomine's voice was slowly rising, "Testu, look at me. Tetsuya."

Kuroko only kept looking at the black liquid filling up the pot.

"Dammit, Tetsu," a scraping sound and Aomine was getting up, "Look at me. I said look at me!"

Then a slam on the countertop made him give a slight flinch before relenting and slowly turning to face Aomine. He was greeted with Aomine leaning far over the counter, his eyes wide and his hands shaking.

"What do you mean _soulmate_? Tetsu," Aomine couldn't have sounded more disgusted even if he tried, "Is this some kind of joke, Tetsu? Because it's not funny."

"No, Aomine-kun, it's not a joke," Kuroko wished it was, but jokes are supposed to be funny and this wasn't.

"No, it really has to be because you're supposed to be," he ground out the next words, "_my soulmate_. Seriously, what the actual fuck? Goddammit!"

The counter shook once again with the force Aomine brought down on it.

"I know, Aomine-kun, I know," Kuroko said and placed a hand on top of Aomine's shakning one, "I know and that's what makes this even worse, but I would like for you to listen now. Please. Daiki."

Aomine didn't stop shaking but he did sit back down.

"I love you, Daiki, and that's the truth. Yes, I might have found my soulmate," Aomine was about to open his mouth but shut it after Kuroko shot him look, "but I love you and that's that."

Aomine said nothing so Kuroko continued on while pouring out the ready coffee into the mugs, "I don't know why Kagami-kun is my soulmate when I'm already yours, but, that doesn't matter because, again, I love you, not him."

Aomine only muttered, "Not yet, anways."

Kuroko set down both the mugs and the coffee pot and walked around to the other side of the ilsand. As soon as he was in reaching distance, he whacked Aomine in the back of the head. Then he waited patiently until Aomine's surprised noise died down to rest his hand on his head.

"Daiki, look at me," Kuroko demanded softly.

Aomine stubbornly didn't listen.

"Daiki," Kuroko said, his voice still low.

Aomine only sighed before spinning on the stool and faced Kuroko. Kuroko gave a soft smile before leaning to kiss Aomine. It was just a light touch of the lips, but it did the trick. Aomine sighed once agains and slowly returned the kiss. It was gentle and reassuring, no pressure to turn it into anything else. Soon it was over and both pulled back. Kuroko kept his hand on the nape of Aomine's neck, stroking the hair there gently while one of Aomine's hand found its way to rest on Kuroko's waist, rubbing circles into it.

"Okay," was the first thing Aomine said, "Okay, you found your soulmate. Okay. This is all kinds of messed up, but okay."

Kuroko couldn't help but agree, "Yes, it really is."

"Whatever," it really wasn't 'whatever' but Kuroko didn't comment, "You're still mine at least, right?"

"Of course, Aomine-kun," Kuroko murmured.

"Aw, come on, not back to 'Aomine-kun' already are we," Aomine started off loudly, "When are you going to stop calling me that."

"When you stop whining about it I suppose," Kuroko was glad, however, that things started to go back into a familiar territory, "but I'll only believe that when I see it."

"Testu, that's so unfair," the hand at his waist squeezed, "and I do not whine."

"Of course, whatever you say," Kuroko said as if talking to one of his students. He used his other hand to pinch the one at his hip lightly.

"By the way, how the hell do you meet _that guy_ anyway," Aomine sure did like to be blunt.

Kuroko didn't know if he wanted to go back into the conversation right away but decided it wouldn't hurt. So, he explained to Aomine how Kagami was a firefighter (_"What? _Lame! _At least I'm an actual officer of the law."_) and was part of the group to demonstrate and the Hazard Safety Day at his kindergarten school. He also told Aomine it was actually two days ago he found out Kagami was his other half and how he agreed to go out to coffee with him on Saturday. That earned him another betrayed look only for him to explain to Aomine it was to tell him that he had a boyfriend he was _very, very_ happy with (_"Damn straight."_).

The conversation delved off into completely different subjects as time went by and before either noticed, it was already close to midnight. The pot of coffee Kuroko made had been finished long ago and was now sitting empty right next to the two mugs. Both had work the next day and drinking coffee at this hour really is bad but neither cared. In fact, due to Aomine's insistence or the fact he was half asleep, he agreed to take tomorrow off.

"It's not going to be a good example I am setting for my kids," Kuroko muttered, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

Aomine laughed and ruffled his hair, "They won't know why, and just say you were sick the next time you go in."

Kuroko gave a light shove, "Aomine-kun is a terrible influence."

"In all the right ways, I am," Aomine laughed then stood up and said suggestively, "Now, let's go start our day off early. In bed."

"Yes, a terrible influence indeed," Kuroko repeated but got up as well.

Aomine only tugged him closer with a grin that Kuroko could do nothing but return.

It really did end up as a day fully spent in bed and as relaxing as it was to both have a day off to enjoy each other's company, Kuroko couldn't shake his slight unease at the end of the day. That was because tomorrow was Saturday. Which meant he was going to go out for coffee with Kagami.

Now, Kuroko wasn't one to crack under pressure and, if anything, he would say he performed exceptionally well when pressed, but when he saw that red hair among the crowd in the cafe, he couldn't help the feeling of nervousness that rose up. The pit of his stomach was a muck of butterflies and his heart beat just a little faster than normal.

No matter, Kuroko was going to tell Kagami how it was. No _ifs, ands, _or _buts_ about it.

"Hello, Kagami-kun," he said in greeting.

Kagami turned around to watch him as he sat down.

"Uh, hey," Kagami started, "I don't know you would've wanted so just asked for menus."

Then, still looking Kuroko in the eyes, he smiled.

Everything tilted as Kuroko realized, once again, he had a _soulmate_.

It was something everybody had, and when you found them everything would just _click_. It wasn't rare and was pretty common, but, like everything else in the universe, there were exceptions. Some can be born without one, never noticing a difference, and some can be born with more than one.

To Kuroko, he didn't know what kind of special case he was, but, in time, he would come to understand that _soulmate_ does not mean _lover_, and that the man he loves can still be the man he loves.

_Because, sometimes, a soulmate can mean best friend._


End file.
